More unsettling were the comparative readouts. There were records of what his body used to be, a reference state from before he arrived in this world and alongside it, a continuously updating model showing how exposure to mana had altered him since. Cellular adaptation, Structural reinforcement, Abnormal energy assimilation pathways. Changes that could no longer be called purely human. Kei's data followed the same pattern this wasn't just observation. It felt like the system was tracking their evolution.
"Information synchronized…Both subjects originated from a lower-order world and entered a higher-order world. This transition exceeded the natural tolerance defined by universal law. As, intentional intervention was detected. In response, the universe initiated an automatic corrective process.
To reduce rejection probability, subject parameters talent, growth potential, and adaptability, were elevated beyond their original-world limits and adjusted to meet this world's baseline survival requirements. The world operating under a separate rule set, to prevent instability caused by the presence of unregistered entities, the world itself executed an assimilation protocol.
As part of this process, functional skill structures were generated using available soul data. Displaced and fragmented soul elements produced during the transition were repurposed and integrated, forming abilities compatible with this world's laws.
Result:
Subjects are no longer classified as foreign variables. Assimilation is complete. Hence, stability has been restored."
Listening to the information so far, Kelly was growing increasingly dumbfounded.
'Universe, World, Equilibrium…what the fuck…Integrating lost souls… just what kind of experimentation have we been put through…'
For once, Kelly was truly terrified. It felt as though all his secrets were being laid bare before this entity without his consent, without him even realizing it. He had no idea what to do. Once again, he was forced to confront his own powerlessness.
'Just who is this, and what's going to happen to us now…'
Interrupting his thoughts, the voice spoke again.
"Both users' talent and potential meet the minimum requirements. Termination protocol has been discarded…"
'Motherfucker… if you wanted to kill us then just lets us fall into the abyss, why first save us… only to try and kill us all over again…fucking sadistic bastards…'
Kelly felt a chill run down his spine as the increasingly cold voice casually mentioned the word termination.
"Welcome, users from the same species as #######. You are the first to be chosen since the Trial was designed…"
'Why don't I have a good feeling about this…chose someone else…please…'
"Commencing the first phase of the Trial, the dungeon. Pass it, collect achievements to advance to the next phase, and earn points for a chance to claim the rewards and treasures left behind by the #######…"
"Wish you luck, users…"
"Wait… wha…"
Hearing that, Kelly felt the force of gravity slam into their bodies as they plunged downward. The wind tore past them, tugging at their clothes and hair, before they collided violently with the river below. The icy water exploded around them, drenching them instantly and knocking the air from their lungs. Pain shot through Kelly's arms and back from the impact, yet he kept his grip on Kei's hand. The force was too much, his vision blurred, his body went limp, and consciousness slipped away as they floated, still entwined, carried by the river's currents.
Kelly woke up disoriented, shaken, and soaked. He was lying face-down on the riverbank, half of his body still submerged in the cold water. With his blurred, limited vision, all he could make out was rocky terrain stretching endlessly before him.
He shakily drew in a breath, only for pain to jolt through his entire body with each inhale. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to move, slowly turning onto his back.
What he saw made him forget the pain altogether. Kelly, sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes widening.
The scenery had completely changed. Where there had once been nothing but darkness, the sky above now glowed with vast blue and purple auroras, like northern lights stretching across an alien horizon. Their eerie radiance illuminated everything below. The land was barren and lifeless rocky, sandy, and uneven, with massive boulders scattered as far as the eye could see. Cracked ground and jagged stone formations dominated the landscape, giving it the feel of an abandoned planet long stripped of life.
Here and there, dark cave openings gaped openly in the terrain, as if the land itself had been hollowed out. There was no sign of vegetation, no sign of life only a vast, desolate expanse under an unnatural sky.
'Where am i…what to do now…wait where is she…'
Just as Kelly was beginning to regain his senses, he felt a sudden absence of someone, he had been slowly getting used to was gone. His upper body jerked upright as panic surged through him, and he desperately scanned the rocky terrain around him, searching for her.